


The Stars From Our Eyes

by subverted



Series: sheith drabbles [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Best Friends, Devotion, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Season/Series 07, Romantic Fluff, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 21:46:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15760323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subverted/pseuds/subverted
Summary: Keith gets an unexpected visitor in his hospital room.His eyes slide shut. He wants to tell Shiro how much he loves him, how much he's always loved him, how he could never walk away, but call it morbid curiosity. There's something he needs to know. "What made you change your mind?"





	The Stars From Our Eyes

A warm breeze twists through the curtains of the hospital room, and Keith finds himself sitting up, relishing in the feeling of the most fresh air he's had in days. Recovery has been slow with the castle's pods destroyed, but he doesn't mind--it's given him some time to think, to be alone with himself for a little. There was a time when the endless stretches of silence were agony, some small part of him dying the way he thought Shiro had back then, but now? Now he's content, and the moments spent to his devices finally actually feel relaxing, refreshing even, and he knows he'll be able to see everyone again with a full heart.

His friends will all be waiting. His _mom_ will be waiting.

He's pulled from his thoughts when he hears heavy footsteps outside his door, looking it to it in confusion as it starts to open. Krolia and Kolivan have already left for the day, and the nurse has already changed his bandages, so who...?

"Hey. Thought you might want come company." The visitor holds up a bouquet of little mottled red flowers with a grin.

"Shiro...?" Keith's eyes widen. "Is it really okay for you to be here? You're so busy and... Flowers?"

"For you? Yeah, it's okay," Shiro responds softly, and glances to the vase in his hands. "They're really not like me, huh?"

"They're not," Keith agrees, expression wry. "But seriously, is it really okay for you to come here right after your speech? Aren't people going to want to talk you?"

"I've got Sam covering things for a little while, don't worry. More importantly..." He steps into the room to set the flowers on a side table, shifting to wrap his arms around Keith's waist, tucking his head into his shoulder like belongs there. " _Thank you._ "

Keith is a little bewildered at first, but he slips his arms around Shiro's shoulders in return, leaning into his hair. "Hey, no problem." And he pulls back, almost laughing, "You gonna tell me what I did? I've been stuck in here this whole time."

He pulls in a breath, pausing to digest what he wants to say. "Keith. Have you ever realized you've been taking something really important for granted?"

"I think so, but..." It's a vague feeling, of trying to being alone and then realizing that he never really was, but he's somehow not sure that's what Shiro's talking about. "Like what?"

"Like... There's someone there who looks at you, and only you, and you never understood how much that meant." There's something vulnerable in Shiro's expression, pleading, almost, and Keith knows he has to tread carefully here.

"Honestly? No," he admits. "There was one person who always believed in me, but I don't think I could _ever_ take that for granted."

"Really." It's mean to be sarcastic, but it comes out too warm, too fond, to carry the right weight. They both know who he means. "Keith, listen. I... made a mistake once. There was someone who wanted to be there for me, and I wouldn't let them be. I walked away."

"I know, Shiro." His hands tighten. "I heard your speech. I... know what he meant to you."

"Not enough? Yeah," Shiro chuckles darkly. "But that ship sailed a long time ago. What I meant to say was... I don't want to make that same mistake with you."

"Shiro...?"

"I told you, didn't I? I will _never_ give up on you." He shifts slightly, pressing their foreheads together, drinking in Keith's warmth. "But maybe what I needed was someone who won't give up on me."

"You... You said it would be inappropriate," Keith responds, dazed. He recalls a time when he tried to confess before they got to Earth, and it always struck him somehow that Shiro never actually denied having any feelings for him. What he said instead?

"' _We have too many responsibilities that need to come first._ ' I know. ... I was an idiot." His raises his hands, cupping Keith's face. "I won't let anything get in the way again."

His eyes slide shut. He wants to tell Shiro how much he loves him, how much he's always loved him, how he could never walk away, but call it morbid curiosity. There's something he needs to know. "What made you change your mind?"

Shiro's voice grows quiet, barely even a whisper, as he idly caresses Keith cheek with his thumb. "I almost thought I lost you out there. I wanted to save you. ... You returned the favor again."

"Of course I did. You're my..." Keith shakes his head. No, he can't say that. Shiro is being honest with him here, so he can't fall back on the same excuses they'd always used out of fear. So he amends: "You're everything to me. I won't let go of you."

"I know," Shiro breathes. "I love you, Keith, and nothing's stopping me, this time. You're the one who taught me that."

"What?" It comes out half-choked, his throat tight. "That should be my line. You're the one who taught me to believe in people, and that I could really be part of something. If it weren't for you, my whole life would be..." But he doesn't need to say that; Shiro knows. They've had that conversation before. "I love you, Shiro."

"I love you."

How many times do they repeat that? It's like once it out, they don't know how to stop, maybe to make up for all the time they've spent holding back, being afraid. Over and over, a promise to each other, of what they are, of what they will be in the future, and by the end of it, Shiro's made his way into the hospital bed with him, his face resting on Keith's chest as they hold each other. Silence settles over the room again, and Keith isn't sure if he's ever known a better one.

"Hey, Shiro?" he asks quietly. "The flowers... Do mean anything?"

"Ah... I was in a rush, so I don't remember what the florist said, to be honest with you." He pauses, thinking. "Devotion, I think."

Keith laughs, and it's the brightest thing Shiro's ever heard. "You just wanted them because they were red, didn't you?"

"Is that so bad?" He leans up, brushing his lips against Keith's jaw. "You should get some rest."

"... Yeah." Keith smiles, threading his finger's through Shiro's hair. "You too. You've earned it."

 


End file.
